Ouroboros
by wildkurofang
Summary: The world has ended. Now Rin must risk everything he is, everything he would become and the future of his loved ones to stop the end of Existence itself. Battling against Chaos's army of soul-devouring Nacht is one thing. Trying to stay two-steps ahead of the rogue Toudou who wants to eat his soul to become the new Order is a whole 'nother ballgame. Future!Rin Sentient!Kurikara
1. Post

**Because every author that is worth their procrastinating ass must write a time travel fic that they will never complete.**

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 **Ouroboros**

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 **Chapter One-Post**

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 _ **True Cross Town, 2187/12/27, The Ruins of Southern Cross Boys' Monastery, Sector 42…**_

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The sound of gravel crunching underfoot joined with the crunch of glass shards breaking. Finally stepping onto the holy ground of the monastery, he faced the once walled entrance, now nothing more than a few piles of broken bricks and twisted metal. Many people would have scoffed at the paint-peeling walls back when a loving hand could be afforded to such a mundane thing as aesthetics.

Now they would only shake their heads in sadness and pity the downfall of the Church. If anyone was left to do so…

He wasn't too sure. Everywhere he had traveled, he was the lone survivor…

"It's been a long time, eh? Kurikara…"

"…" The Koumaken maintained its silence. The silence it had taken the day Okumura Rin had decided to die.

"Meh, so annoying. Still giving me the silent treatment…ne?"

His childish voice echoed around the ruins that lay all around him, his breath coming out in wisps of vapor due to the cold weather. Bits and pieces of snow-covered rubble littered the once smooth pavement of the road. The buildings that used to stand so tall were now nothing but crippled old geezer's, way past their prime, crumbling in the decay that festered in the once grand town of True Cross.

If it hadn't already been there in the first place. The decay, he meant.

"Man…I missed this place you know. We grew up here… How long ago was that? 40, 90, 150 years ago?" He shook his head, dark navy locks spilling messily out of the ponytail that was disastrously put together in haste that morning. Or should he say night? It was almost dawn. Not that you could see the sunrise anymore. The nukes had taken care of that. "Eh, I can't remember. I guess I'm finally going senile?"

He tilted his head with a childish grin hoping to elicit a response. He was given none.

It was funny. That even though he possessed a human body it still couldn't get sick from the radiation lingering in the air. Even if many a comrade had fallen to that said fact...

He could still see their faces… Hear their voices… See their children and grandchildren grow and laugh and-

"I really missed this place."

His sword still did not answer.

The grin disappeared.

Head bowed, he rubbed the back of his neck with his free, black-gloved hand in sheepish embarrassment and spoke to himself and his blade even though it would not answer him back. "I never could find time to come back…and now I have all the time in the world…"

 **His nose was red from the cold.**

He supposed there really was no need to talk aloud…

 **He would get a cold if he had been human.**

But he hated the silence.

 **Just like Shiemi had. It had been a simple cold too…**

It drowned everything. Ate everything. Devoured everything.

 **She had died; her immune system simply hadn't been strong enough. And the medicine had been depleted.**

Just like the shadows watching him. Just like the glowing white eyes that peeked at him from behind the grey rubble that matched the grey sky and the grey world around him.

 **They hadn't been able to go get more. He had been out on a mission... And without medicine she had-**

Just like the darkness bubbling out of the ruins that was left standing in front of him.

 **He wondered how many others in the world had faced that same problem. If they hadn't already succumbed to the Die** **Ö** **de Syndrome yet by that point.**

Closing his brilliant but tired, oh so tired, royal blue eyes the boy adjusted his bluish green-striped and white polka-dotted scarf. Nuzzling his nose into the old, almost ancient frayed cashmere fabric, he stepped forward. And then took another step. And another. And finally, he was walking again. Towards that maw that stood in the middle of what used to be two French doors of a Church.

 **Probably a lot. After all, there was no place in the world that was safe anymore.**

He was just a boy. In body, he was no older than fifteen and a few odd months.

 **Not that it mattered anymore. He was pretty sure he was the only one left. Him…and-**

He was just an old man. In mind, he was old. So very old. He, after all, had grown up human. Completely human. Time moved the same for him mentally as any other human had experienced. But his changed body, no, changed soul, refused to acknowledge that.

 **That monster.**

So he didn't age. And yet at the same time…he did. It put a strain on him. To look in a mirror and see the same face staring back him with eyes growing darker and darker, harder and harder, colder and colder… And still he looked no older than fifteen.

 **They were all gone. His friends. His family. His everything.**

It didn't piss him off anymore. It was just a fact of his life now. He was a Demon. A powerful one at that; and thus he did not age. Even when the people around him turned just as grey as the world had become.

Well, maybe the height issue still made him a little mad…

 **So he chose to fight. And keep fighting. Even as his comrades had fallen over the years, he fought. Oh, he fought tooth and nail and roaring, burning flame. It had danced higher and higher and then-**

"I guess today is a good day to die as any. Happy birthday to us and all that jazz… Right, minna-san?"

No one answered him.

Not aloud.

But in his heart, he felt the fleet stirring of warmth and he knew he wasn't alone as the silence made him out to be. Humanity was a pain.

But the alternative was so much worse...

Even if his stupid Koumaken was acting like a two-year old and continued to pout.

"Ara, ara. There's just no placating you is there?" He clenched his free fist and smiled brightly one last time into the fabric around his neck that reminded him of happier times when the world still hoped along with him. When there still was other _people_ to have hope.

His foot entered the darkness, swallowing it whole and he adjusted the thick black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.

"The world is ending and you won't say a word?"

His leg followed.

 **They had been passed down to those that had need of them-**

"Really now, I guess we really are one and the same."

And then the rest of his body.

 **From his children's children-**

"Stubborn to the bitter end. Ne?..."

 **But even they had perished-**

The inside of the church remained surprisingly intact from all of the damage the outside of it had taken.

 **All of his twin's descendants, they no longer had need for them-**

"Toudou."

 **And so he took them up again.**

A sword hilt was gripped.

A smile that spoke of madness uncontained reared its ugly head while the physical head it occupied turned towards him and laughed socially.

Fire illuminated the night.

Fire illuminated the alter.

And blood ran down its walls and steeped the already rotting floorboards once more just like it had so long ago that blue night.

A head rolled, a child collapsed, a forgotten promise was vindicated.

The devil was vanquished.

And a sword wept for its dumb-ass partner and spoke one last time while the walls began to crumble and the world turned to dust.

" **If this doesn't work…You are going to wish you never existed...Rin."**

And a pair of broken glasses lay crushed on the floor staring mournfully at the end of the world.

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In Existence, there exists an infinite possibility for the future.

The past is what decisions have been made; the present, the decisions being made and the future, well, it can only be decided when the present moves forward. This, of course, is in relation to one single path.

The universe works on a balance, a tipping scale of unknown quantities or infinite categories that are forever wobbling this way and that at every little choice all living beings make.

That being said, when the past inexplicably changes in one path then surely, it is the culprit of a certain echo. An echo of a choice made far down the line in another place and Time.

Thus every action is balanced against each other.

Each one of the many fateful masses that roam the worlds that overlap each other like mirrors that sit facing their counterparts can attest to having a role in Existence.

The universe is made out of a hall of reflecting mirrors. The Past rests at one side and the Present at the other with the Future being reflected among the echoes and branches of choices already made and being made. Take away one side and Time and Space become fixed, a single straight line. Move one side slightly and everything is distorted.

At any place and at any time can this shift, this dissonance happen and the results of these echoes can either be seen as a balancing trick by the universe or a stumble that will shake the very fabric of reality to its core. It effects all Time lines sooner or later unless balanced.

Those who traverse Time and Space on these different paths willingly or not come to know these ideas as the Ouroboros Principle. At any time, a new concept can come into play or an old one deleted if the universe is distorted enough and the more options, the more paths of choice, the more complicated it becomes to rectify an echo that has become deformed.

Because the fundamental theory above all else of the Ouroboros has always been: Time is a loop onto itself and Space is mutable. Place a boulder in the path of a current and the current changes slightly along the way. It can realign itself without too much trouble but take it away and an entire current is held under a disastrous sway.

Time is a loop unto itself, devouring its own ends at the end of the day. Space is changeable and can easily be distorted. When Time is deprived of its end then and only then does it begin to devour everything else in its path, even twisting Space as it goes. It will run amok until it can achieve the loop once more to maintain the balance that the universe demands.

Even if a billion upon a billion lives are sacrificed in the attempt.

One man attempted to right these catastrophic occurrences when Time and Space became entangled with itself. He did, and consequently lost his life…and was forever erased from existence itself. However, Time was righted in the end. And Space was restored to its original form. He left only one piece of evidence as to him ever having existed at all.

The Ouroboros itself in metaphysical form—memories that spanned even Time and Space, and a hope to rewrite the Great Tragedy that befell Existence.

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 **And so...I have a shit ton of chapters written for this. Now you finally know my dirty secret of the last three years. Yes...I couldn't help myself. You have no idea how many times I've rewritten this dumb thing.**

 **(As for my Dadddy's Little Boy readers, the next chap is half written. I swear I haven't abandoned it!)**

 ***The other readers for my other stories scream in frustration***

Tarry a while. Thou art so fair. ~ Wild-Tama


	2. Delivery Delayed

**Sooo, here it is?**

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 **Chapter Two-Delivery Delayed**

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 _ **True Cross Town, 2011/3/25, Somewhere in the Lower Districts…**_

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"Ah man, why does my boss have to be such a slave driver?!"

Chains on a bike clattered and groaned shrilly from the overworking of its gears by its rider while the wheels it turned increased in speed.

It was a cloudy, sun-less morning in March, just a few days from the beginning of April and it was cold.

As one Okumura Rin and his beat red nose could attest to. "Bastard, this is so annoying, sending me out this early just because I lost that package yesterday! It wasn't my fault that those idiots thought I was transporting _drugs!_ Sheesh!"

Puffs of air billowed past the boy while he breathed heavily, who was racing through the backstreets of Southern True Cross Town on his bike. The navy-haired male pedaled even faster with red cheeks hoping to make it on time _this time around_ with his delivery. He couldn't afford not to.

" _ **One more mistake and your fired, got it gaki?!"**_

 _Ugh, that's what that oyaji said and I believe him! Kusojijii will kick my ass if I get kicked from a job one more time!_

Teeth biting his lip, Rin scanned the scrap of paper crumbled in his fist.

由井 新 Yui Arata-Antique Epoch

X-X, Southern True Cross Town X-Chrome

True Cross Town, Tōkyō XXX-XXXX

Shoulders slumping, the young male continued pedaling wondering if he was even going to make it. _Annoying, my luck is always down. Cops or maybe another gang'll probably stop me today. Why am I even trying so hard?_

The short teen knew why and it didn't help his ego at all. _Tch, quit whining, Yukio tries ten times as hard as you do! And look where it got him! He's gonna be a great doctor one day!_

A smile peeked out from underneath his frown and sharp midnight irises softened at the memory of the younger twin receiving his acceptance letter in the mail from the prestigious True Cross Academy. _Man, Yukio's gonna go far, I just know it._

Happier at the prospect of finishing his job soon and spending one more night with his little brother Rin pushed himself harder to do his job correctly. He didn't want to ruin the last supper he was going to have with his genius sibling for quite a while by telling his old man that he had been fired for the third time that month. "Yoshi, no time for lolly gagging!" And he pedaled faster.

 _ **True Cross Town Slums…**_

Building block after building block whipped past the teenager's vision but the postal code he was looking for seem to allude him. The listings on the buildings were close to where he needed to _go_ but none of them was the one he _needed._ Even the name of the shop was nowhere to be seen! Looking high and low frantically, Rin slowed down finally stopping his bike in the middle of the empty street and pouted. He sat back onto his bike's seat and glared at the shops lining the walkways as if they were all conspiring against him.

Rubbing his hair in annoyance Rin glanced up at the sky silently grousing with a frown, _Where in the world could it be? Is it, like, invisible?_ Common sense told him that that was impossible but it didn't stop the young boy from thinking it.

Confused and a little disappointed Rin looked back down and focused his attention at street level only to spot a hanging lantern in a nearby ally-way.

The part of town he was in was one of the lower, poorer districts of True Cross Town but it looked a little more depleted and rundown then the neighborhood his home, the Southern Cross Boys' Monastery, was located. Shady shops and gangs were more common in this area and it wasn't the first time the male had made a delivery to an unsavory location. Or to a back-alley.

Glancing once more at the hanging lantern with cursive Kanji that the teen could hardly read, he checked the address. **Antique Epoch** was written on both. Rin bit his lip. _Back-alley store? Check. Creepy swaying lantern? Check. Old and fat child molester behind door number 1? I have no friggin' clue._

His job wasn't _that_ dangerous but you never knew.

Sighing, Rin pedaled closer to the lantern. When he reached the alley itself, he hopped off his bike, white sneakers landing on the worn gravel outside the small shop sign; while the crunch of pebbles underfoot went along well with the rattle of the chain hanging from his pants connected to his wallet. He stalked closer, bike in hand.

Trudging over to the dimly lit ally-way door he pulled his bike over to one of the graffiti-stained walls and leaned it against the one across from the derelict, black wooden door that looked as if it had rotted twice and been used as a teething ring for a shark. He grabbed the small, paper-wrapped parcel he had with him and stepped up to the decomposing door.

Gloom lines running down his forehead, Rin gulped and looking right and left pulled his white jacket tighter over his dark blue hoodie and taking the plunge rapped on the door with his knuckles, his finger-less black gloves tight around his already tense fists.

Seconds went by and when a full minute eclipsed the boy's shoulders sagged in defeat. He couldn't return to the delivery shop until he delivered this package. He just couldn't. Swallowing in frustration Rin's eyebrow twitched and he raised his fist to knock against the door one more time.

Unfortunately, for him the owner of the decaying door had pulled it open just at that second…and received a knock to the face for his troubles.

"Agh!"

The man sprawled backwards, fire red hair spilling out of his high ponytail across the floor like streaks of blood, hands clutched around his nose while he rolled across the dusty ground, feet kicking the air. A wooden geta landed with a clatter off to his side and his round, golden-rimmed glasses found themselves tangled in the wild mess of hair that was his forehead while he pawed at his face in pain, squawking out, "Itaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! ~ Mon Dieu!"

There was this awkward pause when one realized they just did something incredibly stupid…or embarrassingly foolish. And poor Rin was experiencing both. Mouth agape, it didn't take long for him to hit the dusty floor with his hands waving around the thrashing male in helplessness. "Su-sumimasen! I didn't-I mean I was just knocking on the door-!"

Black clad legs finally stilling, they sprawled out undignified on the floor and the man's head hit the ground with a "thwack," one hand waving in the air at him while stuttering out in a pained grimace, "It-it's ok. Not ze-owowow first time that's 'appen'." Sitting up rather quickly while rubbing his red nose the male gingerly poked at it with teary eyes to survey the damage while fixing his glasses, wincing as they snagged on his long, straight hair. "S'ould've owowow-answered q-quicker."

 _That was fast…_ Rin just blinked—briefly noticing that the man had dark, almost black maroon nail polish on his long, _sharp_ nails—and then smiling nervously, stood up while dusting his dark, navy-blue pants off. "Nah, I was just in a hurry. You ok?" The blue-eyed male offered his hand to the seemingly thirty-ish old man he had so casually decked by accident.

Watery, hawk-like pools of grey suddenly pierced him, digging uncomfortably into Rin's head all the while scrutinizing him like a specimen on a lab table. Then a second later the edges smoothed out with laugh lines dancing across his tan face and the mysterious customer smiled wide like the child before him had a want for doing. "Ara, ara ~ Boy-ya, you 'ave the bluest eyes I've ever seen and I've seen a _lot."_

Now, every then and again people will meet certain other people that just get on their nerves for some reason. Be it dislike or just some other instinct that rears its ugly head at the most unlikely times. Rin was just the type of guy that got that vibe a lot for some reason. He didn't know why it was he didn't exactly get along with most people but he did know that the itching in the back of his mind meant trouble. His brother called it fight or flight instincts and his old man had called it his sixth sense.

He didn't know about either of those two descriptions to that weird urge he got but what he did know was that nothing good ever came out of the bristle-like feeling of his metaphorical hackles being raised. It would seem strange to rely on a gut feeling to others but it had always been right before for Rin so he generally followed it.

However, he could have cursed right then and there. He didn't need to start trouble; it would only get him fired. So he just blinked in confusion and acted as if nothing was wrong.

Eyes friendly, the man took the pre-offered hand without an explanation for his previous sentence and clambered up from the floor, his short, dark-purple and gold yukata billowing out behind him as he wiped the dust off his rear end and reclaimed his lost sandal. "As for ok? I'm fine, I'm fine. Dieu de ciel! Why I've never been better!"

Perplexed at the non-hostility of the heavily accented man before him Rin just smiled uncertainly waiting for the auburn-headed foreigner to yell at him and chuck him back out into the ally. It hadn't been the first time. "You sure? I think I might have broken your nose." He blushed sheepishly at the trail of the blood beginning to leak out of his handiwork.

Slate surveyed him quietly before its owner waved his hand and laughed mildly while wiping his nose with the back of his sleeve, "Broken? Boy-ya didn't I tell ya it 'as 'appen' before? I'm fine, in fact-"

And then there was a cracking sound while the strange male reset his nose with a wince.

Rin just frowned. The teenager had more than one case of a broken nose and it always hurt like the bleeding loins of hell to reset it.

"Now, tell me w'at brings such a wee lad to my doorstep zis mornin'. I don't get many customers ya see."

Remembering he was in the middle of a job the young man ignored the jab at his height—but not without some difficulty—and fumbled for the package that was no longer in his grasp. When he realized it wasn't he looked around and saw it lying innocuously on the dusty wooden floor boards a yard away from him. Grimacing, Rin picked it up and dusting it off, held it out and dug into his inner coat pocket for the piece of paper he had been given, reading the name of the person and place on it once he found it, out-loud to the curious man before him. "I'm here to deliver a package to one Yui Arata at the shop Antique Epo-uh…Epu-umm-"

A dot-like raised eyebrow was followed by a chuckled, "Epoc'?"

"H-hai!" Rin's face bloomed into a red field of flushed embarrassment.

The smile on the crimson-headed male widened and he sniggered, "Well, zat would be me youngen'. It's a pleasure to meet you, even zough I don't really remember orderin' nothin'…"

Pushing his glasses up higher on his nose, he took a hold of the package from the shorter male and broke the packing seal. The slim man slipped off the paper surrounding it carefully while allowing the paper to crumble to the floor without a care. A noir-colored book cover appeared beneath the beige packing and he let his trembling hand brush over the smooth cover while his eyes widened in surprise. "Zis-! Zis is…"

Rin tilted his head to the side and glanced at the book the other was gawking at with astonishment, a hint of nervous trepidation hidden behind his confusion. "You did order it, didn't you?" _I hope it wasn't packaged or labeled wrong!_

The taller male raised his stormy eyes away from the book in his hands and cast a long, hard stare at the boy in front of him with a dead serious look plating his tan face a metaphorical metal wall. After what seemed like an eternity on Rin's part, he finally blinked. His whole demeanor changed in that second, his expression widening into a state of barely contained excitement and then suddenly the spectacle-wearing male was an explosion of rabid activity.

The door of the store was banged shut ruthlessly and a hand latched onto Rin's white jacket sleeve. Who soon found himself being dragged over to a wood and glass counter that was centered to the left of the door that led back outside. "O-oi!"

The book in the other man's hands was slammed down onto the glass pane and Rin felt his wrist released just in time to stop himself from crashing into the solid object in front of him, wind-milling so that he didn't fall face first onto it instead.

The older, red-haired male skidded to a halt and whipping around backed away from the dark-haired boy—who was trying to regain his balance—smiling excitedly while holding up his hands in front of himself as if the navy-haired boy was a skittish cat, "One second! Just give me one second le petit boy-ya!"

He then dove behind the counter and into another room to the right of Rin through a set of heavy, purple velvet drapes that obscured what was behind them completely.

"…E, ok?" It was spoken to the thin air of the shop seeing how the man was already long gone. _What's the hurry?_ The teenager didn't really know what was going on but whatever had put the guy into a tizzy didn't seem to be going away any time soon. Rin had no choice but to stick around since he still needed for the guy to sign the piece of a paper citing that he had faithfully delivered the requested parcel and that him—and his employer—were no longer legally responsible for it. _My boss will have a fit if I don't get his signature…_

Deciding to wait during the costumer's eccentric retreat into the back room Rin took a chance to finally look around the shop he had found himself in. He turned around and glanced at the dusty room in front of him in curiosity.

The shop's lightning was really low and the opulent yet cobwebbed chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling gave off a yellow glow that just barely lit, what Rin quickly realized was a carnivorous space, that was the place he found himself in. The eerie glow reflected off everything that could reflect it, which was pretty much everything in the shop as far as Rin could tell. _This is place is huge…and dusty as hell._

There were shields decorated with different motifs and rusty, ancient swords dangling from the walls and leaning against the wooden paneling of the room. Glass figurines of grotesque and angelic images littered an entire shelf to his right and old oil paintings hung amongst them. Clocks hung upon the walls between the rest of the junk piled into the room like Kudzu vines infesting a disintegrating house from the inside out.

Everywhere Rin looked more and more bizarre objects greeted his eyes. A rusty—or was that blood?!—suit of armor without a helmet reclined in an equally ancient white marble throne— _How did that get there?_ —with a delicate pink tea cup half the size of its palm sitting in its hands. A chain-mailed pinky was stuck out to boot like a parody of an old tea party.

The image wasn't helped by the fact that a full set of dinner plates and cutlery were set out amidst dust bunnies partying on the red wine tablecloth that was more of a roll of cotton candy for the moths since they sure seemed to have dined and dashed reducing it to its current hole-filled and tattered state.

The rest of the walls were covered by long bookcases, the objects within hiding behind stark, shining glass that looked so very out of place among the dust disaster that had swept the rest of the room in a fine coat of grime. _This guy…_

Resting inside the glass-cased shelves though were what Rin could only describe as the sole surviving remnants from the dawn of time. The leather bindings were wrinkled and cracked to hell, flaking off the books as if winter had come for one last stage call inside the cabinets the books were housed in. In any case, the book snowdrifts were not as strange as the languages printed on to the outside of the manuscripts themselves. It wouldn't have mattered if the tomes themselves had been in perfect condition. The squiggles and runes etched and stamped into their skins were ineligible to poor Rin anyway.

 _What is this place? A pack rat's spawning ground?_

The shop in total was creepy as all-heck-get-out and that one china doll staring at him from across the room was just itching to grab that ancient knife sitting on the shelve above it and-

 _He's been gone awhile…_ Starting to get worried—for obvious reasons—the short teen decided to take a good look at the contents inside the glass case below him to take his mind off the absent storekeeper. Pressing his hands against its sides he stared passed the gleaming glass— _Seriously, why can't the rest of this place be just as spotless?!_ Rin could feel his nose starting to itch from all the dust accumulating in his lungs like volcanic ash—and into it.

Pocket watches— _More clocks? Jeeze!—_ old foreign coins, and jewelry swamped the inside of the counter positively dripping over the sides of its black satin lining. _I wonder if it's all real?_

Peeking back up from jeweled daggers and flintlock pistols—he hoped that those didn't fire; guns were illegal in Japan after all—Rin looked behind the counter at the dusty jars sitting on the last shelf in the room and promptly looked away. Those could have been pickled organs for all he knew.

There was something off about this place and it was making Rin's hair stand on end, he just couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was getting him so riled up though. _I feel like someone just stepped over my grave or somethin'._

Sweeping the entire room with one last glance his eyesight centered on the objects before him. They were the last items to catch his attention because they were on top of the glass counter itself. An old style bell ringer in bronze sat next to a brown hard cover book to his right and a yellowed quill that had seen better days sat next to both of them in a since-long-dried puddle of emerald ink that still clung to the glass bottle it was in like a king to his favorite concubine.

A ratty old chest sat on the edge opposite of the book, quill, and bell. It was decorated by several dents-from-hell like they were badges of honor and it had quite the impressive layer of dust caked onto it several times thicker than what he had seen elsewhere in the shop _._

 _When was the last time this person actually had a customer? Is this just a front for a drug operation?!_ Rin had every right to worry, the owner had been gone for quite a while now and Rin was starting to get antsy.

Imagination starting to run wild, Rin found the last object on the counter right in front of him the most interesting thing in the entire shop. It had brought him to this place after all. Moreover, he realized it felt the most _abnormal_ in comparison to the rest of the shop items that had been giving him the creeps since he deigned to notice the strange niggling in the back of his head. _That book…_

It seemed to be just like any other old book to the dark-haired teen while he stared at it. Unlike the other books in the room, it was still in pristine condition. White pages in a deckled manner peeked out from underneath a black binding that was shut by a silver clasp and lock. In silver lettering, Rin could just make out the title of the book in Japanese, " **Book of-"**

Rin didn't get a chance to finish reading the title because the sound of something heavy crashing to the floor echoed from the room that the strange man had gone into. "O-oi?! Are you ok?" He stepped around the counter and was prepared to move past the curtain to see if the man needed help.

However, the deep, foreign-tinted baritone of the man who had told him to wait rang out before he could, "I-I'm just peachy! Ow- Pour l'amour de-!"

The clang of metal and a sharp hiss of pain redoubled the teen's certainty that the guy was not _peachy_ at all and he called out questioningly, afraid to snoop and move past the curtain, "Umm, are you sure? 'Cause that sounded pretty painful to me." _Is he a klutz?_

A frazzled head of bright red hair peeked out from behind the obstruction and Rin was met with a brief but mad-capped grin that spoke of manic delight. It didn't help that his glasses were askew and that they seemed to gleam wickedly in the already low light.

 _Is it just me?..._

"Nope! ~ I'm fine. I just had a-uh an unexpected avalanche…" His grey eyes narrowed into a steely glare at something behind the purple drape but then he swiveled back to his young guest and smiled all flowers and rainbow sparkles again. "But by the way, you see that book and quill on the counter over there?" He pointed a finger at what he was talking about.

 _Or are his teeth really sharp?_

Looking at what the man was pointing at Rin nodded once mechanically. "H-hai."

Grinning the taller man asked politely, "Do you mind writing yer name down in zat book if you please? It's store policy-" He seemed to pause and then face twisting into an embarrassed smile he stepped out from behind the curtain and fixed his glasses sheepishly. "Ara, ara! 'ow terribly rude of me! I never introduced myself." He bowed, hands in his sleeves before he straightened and spoke in a lilting cadence, "My name is Yui Arata, ze 'umble s'op owner of zis establis'ment. But, of course, you already knew that. You can just call me Ara-san."

He winked playfully at Rin and sliding his right, nail-painted hand out of his sleeve, he then took hold of the younger boy's left hand. Bowing again to bring it to his lips before muttering sensuously with lidded eyes into the back of it, "If you please, since you already have mine, may I also have your name le petit boy-ya?"

 _Kinda old child molester? Check. At least he isn't fat, that'd make things ten times worse-_ Rin grimaced, and pulling his hand out of the other grip discreetly wiped it on his pants to get rid of the ghost-like tingly feeling it left behind. He really didn't want to give this weirdo his name but he couldn't just say no. That would have been rude. Of course, Rin didn't personally care if he was rude or not. Especially to creepy old guys… But just one complaint to the oyaji he worked for…

"Okumura Rin." It was given through clenched teeth nevertheless while the owner of it inched backwards a little to put some space between himself and the ginger-haired man that was still smiling wide enough to put a cat to shame.

The older man seemed to not have noticed—or just didn't mind—and straightening up he placed his chin in his palm while rolling the name he had been given around in his mouth like it was a hard candy. "Okumura Rin… _Rin…_ _**Rin…**_ " He abruptly turned around and disappeared back into the unknown confines of the room behind the velvet curtain mumbling the poor boys name as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

All it did was make Rin want to shudder at the purr it was being molested with. Frown on his face and decidedly a little bit more on edge then earlier the blue-eyed boy stepped back up to the glass and wood counter he was originally at and picked up the brown book he had seen earlier. It wasn't old but it wasn't new either. Gold lettering littered its binding and seeing that it was just a register for customers he opened it up.

In jade ink and in all shapes and sizes were multiple entries of signatures from what Rin could only guess to be the man's—Ara-san, Rin corrected himself—customers. Flipping a few pages, he kept going until he got to the very last one where he finally found a spot to write his name in. _The very last line heh?_ Glancing at the counter he looked for a pen only to find the quill that he had spotted earlier was sitting in a fresh bottle of verdant ink. _When did?..._

There are times in people's lives when a uncanny chill goes down their spines and they have the chance to acknowledge that something is very, very _wrong_ and they should do something about it _now_ …and they don't. Rin would come to hate this moment very soon when he didn't turn around and walk out of that shopkeeper's door, job be damned.

Shrugging his shoulders at the odd sight Rin instead just grabbed the once white quill and making sure he was not going to get ink everywhere, hastily scrawled his name in the last blank in the book. _There, now I hope I can get out of here without any more distractions…_

Then Ara-san popped his head back out and asked self-consciously, "Rin-chan, can I call you Rin-chan?" He didn't wait for Rin to even decline. "Could you be a doll and grab the keys in that box right next to you for me?" He then disappeared again.

The navy-haired male felt his eye begin to twitch but clamped down on his urge to growl that he was under no circumstances Rin _-chan_ to anyone. Period. End of sentence. Grumbling underneath his breath, the short teenager did as he was asked and placing the quill back turned to the old box he had seen earlier. Frowning even harder at the thought of getting all that dust over his hands, he opened it, looking for the keys that the other male was talking about.

A single key ring with quite a number of them on it laid harmlessly inside, dusty as the tombs of every Egyptian mummy there was in existence. He gingerly lifted them out making sure not to shake them or disturb the thriving Sahara desert of dust resting peacefully in the bottom of the box. If he did, he was pretty damn sure that he could develop asthma in one breath. Not wanting to choke on his own saliva Rin called out while walking carefully to the drapes, "Are these what you were asking for?"

He expected the man to pop back out again from the other room but he just yelled back, "Are zey dusty as you-would-never-believe?"

Sweat dropping, he replied, "Yep."

"Zen yes, zose are." A hand stuck out of the curtain and gave the come-hither gesture to the younger male.

Still being careful not to jostle the keys Rin walked the rest of the distance between him and the disembodied hand and dropped the keys gingerly into it. When that was done the hand retracted itself with a muffled, "S'ank you, my dear."

Eyebrow beginning to twitch again, the pale-skinned boy added, "Sure~ By the way, when I wrote my name down in that register book thingy I saw that it was full. You might wanna get a new one."

This time the effect was instantaneous. "Full?!"

The sound of something falling on the floor—most definitely something heavy—accompanied a head followed by a body that appeared way too close for Rin's tastes from behind the barrier he had just been talking through. He backed up even more than originally planned when he saw that the male was holding something large underneath one of his arms.

Leaden, shiny eyes peered down at the full-head shorter male that looked up at him in surprise. "You said it was full? I'll believe it w'en I see it!" He then heel-turned on a dime and marched over to the counter, placing the seemingly heavy-looking, brown chest he was holding onto it with a muffled "thump."

Once that was done the tall redhead scooped up the book Rin had previously wrote his name in and flipped to the very back, pages flapping rabidly. It took a second while he scanned to the very bottom but then his eyes bulged out while he gasped loudly, "E?!" Ara-san leaned in close and from behind his round glasses—that slid off his nose at the action—blinked in disbelief while he pressed the book so far against his face that its pages swallowed up his nose. "Well, I'll be damned! Dieu soit loué!"

He let out a piercing whistle in what Rin could only think of was in amazement and shook his head, scratching his cheek as he pulled his face away with a green smudge on his nose, glasses hanging perilously on the tip of it.

He then glanced at the boy in front of him who was staring with a raised eyebrow and tittered abashed with eyes closed, "Gomen, gomen. Pardon my Frenc' if ya please. I'm just surprised zat's all…" His sentenced trailed off and without needing to be told, he wiped the splotch of ink off his nose and fixed his glasses until they sat how they were supposed to on his face. "Ara, ara~ I just never suspected zat ze day would come w'en zis 'ing finally became full. At least not for a great many more years. I told you earlier zat I didn't get zat many customers…"

Rin could believe that but said nothing, just nodding when he deemed it was appropriate. Gaze turning to the large, dark wooded and metal-banded chest that the other had brought out of the back of which he guessed was a storeroom he asked, "What's that?" _And why the hell did he want me to wait just to get that?_

Seeming to finally come back to the original reason he had asked the young man to wait when he first appeared the older male smiled in a wide fashion, "Zat? Well, since you came all this way 'ere I wanted to just s'ow you somet'ing… But~ It's not every day I meet my one thousandt' customer!" He added this with a flourish in the direction of the other male in the immediate vicinity.

"Heh?! One thousandth?!" Rin pointed at himself in shock, astonished at the man's declaration.

He nodded back with a dorky grin on his face. "'Ai!"

Waving his hands in front of his face the teenager argued, "Eh… but I'm not even a customer! I didn't buy anything!"

"Iie. W'etzer someone buys somet'ing or not zey are still a customer to me. Anyone willing to step foot in zis 'ere shop 'as somet'ing special and unique onto 'emselves." He beamed at the younger male leaning in close to the navy-haired boy.

"Zat is w'y I ask everyone 'ou comes 'ere to write down zeir name. Everyone I meet is dear to me, be it a young man come looking for Gala'ad's zield, antique collectors looking for magic chains zat are as strong as creation itself or sword fanatics 'unting dragon-slaying blades from Norse legend… Even zose 'ou come sniffing around for a certain stone…" He trailed off again, a distant look in his eyes and a scowl on his face until he blinked and coughed in embarrassment, laying down the register book while he was at it. "Well, as ze kids say nowadays', you get ze drift. I want to s'ank you for your patience and your valued patronage of my 'umble shop, let me just…o! W'ere did zose troublesome keys go?"

He suddenly started patting his clothes and rummaging through his pockets. "Zey are always playing tricks on me, putting 'emselves in the most unlikely of places! Zere is a reason I keep zem in zat box!"

Rin watched a bit bemused while the other male began to overturn everything close to him. The search soon branched out to the rest of the shop and dust flew in the air while the man looked high and low for the vanishing key set.

Looking back at the counter in front of him in confusion the short male stared at the very familiar looking objects sitting right smack dab in front of him. Feeling a bit silly Rin asked hesitantly while pointing in front of him, "Umm, you mean these Ara-san? They were up here the entire time."

The stressed out shopkeeper pivoted on the balls of his feet and peeked past his young guests shoulder face lighting up in happy relief. "Ah! ~ Yata! 'ere I 'ougt it was going to take me all day to find zem again." He literally twirled back over to the counter and grabbing the key ring shook out the keys themselves into the air to discard the layer of dust that had ingrained itself upon them.

Rin sneezed violently at his action of dislodging all of that dirt into his breathing air and managed to glare at the vibrant man in front of him while he rubbed his nose.

Who was giggling guiltily at the teary-eyed teenager.

" _Thanks."_

Ara-san smiled unabashedly and stated, "As an old friend would say, "Gesund'eit, mein 'reund! ~" Well, at least zat is w'at 'e _would_ say if 'e wasn't ze one sneezing or panicking about germs because otherwise 'e would likely-" Seeing the unamused expression on the young boy's face he apologized unashamed after a second of thought, "A', sorry, sorry! I got carried away but I'm pretty sure w'at I'll s'ow you next will be wort'w'ile, oui?

Not waiting for a response, he cycled through the key ring humming a lilting tune before he picked a peculiar silver one that had more teeth then a piranha out of the many on the ring. Turning the chest towards Rin so that he could see what he was doing he lifted a black metal flap revealing an even more off the wall locking mechanism on the ancient appearing box. Fitting the key inside the circular lock, he turned it to the left and then pulled out the key.

Rin waited patiently for him to open it so that he could see what he so anxiously wanted him to see so that he could leave but the man just pulled back and picked another key out of the key ring he was holding and inserted it into the lock.

"Eh?"

He turned it to the right this time a complete two times until he was back where he started and he glanced at Rin with a snigger twisting his lips, those enigmatic sharp teeth flashing at him from his mischievous expression. "Just watc'." And then he continued the strange routine using every last key on the ring, randomly picking and choosing and twisting and turning them in the lock in a seemingly indiscriminate manner. "After all, w'ile some people can just snap zeir fingers and secure somet'ing wit'out trouble _some_ of us, 'ave to do t'ings the old fashioned way."

Unsure as to what the spectacled man was mumbling about Rin just asked, "Uh, why are you using all those keys?" He pointed at the chest while a few more keys were used in the process. _You would think one would be more than enough…_

"'mm?" The man just hummed and stuck what Rin hoped to be the last key into the box. "W'y? W'at? Zat's _'ow_ zis lock works. Ze size of ze key, ze duration and direction of ze turn… It's a riddle to keep nosy people out of zis 'ere box."

"So it needs all those keys?"

"Sort of… All zese keys are very important, just like every person in existence is important to ze flow of time. Erase one or put it in a different spot and everyt'ing goes screwy. A single detail or action zat may seem ze most random or a small matter usually 'as a big impact on ze order of t'ings and is less likely to be noticed in ze short run. Ze opposite 'olds true for a big detail. It is more easily noticed and zen forgotten zus it 'olds less weig't on w'at is going to come." Glancing over at the boy, he saw the deadpanned face of non-comprehension and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"A', sorry. I did say I get carried away sometimes..." Tapping his index finger against his lips his eyes lit up a second later and he hit the palm of his hand with his fist, keys jingling in the process. "A', I got it." He then pointed at the key ring and then back at the box explaining, "Like say someone was very interested in getting into zis box."

Rin nodded, if a bit perplexed. _Where is he going with this? And why do I have to go too?_

He continued, "Well, if zey wanted to do so zey would 'ave to find zese keys first," He shook the key ring in emphasis, "Ze devilish little blighters, and zen zey would 'ave to find ze box." He winked and then set the keys down. "But say zey can't find ze key or ze box? Or zey find ze keys—almost impossible, ze tricky little t'ings—but no box? Or vice versa? Ze least zat would 'appen is my shop being ransacked. Ze worse is zat another nosy person is t'warted. But say zey do find both zen w'at?"

"They open the box?"

"Nope!" He shook his head a cheeky grin on his face. "'Cause ya see zey don't know w'ic' key to pick or w'at way to turn zem. Even if zey did know w'ic' key to use in w'at order zey would still 'ave to get ze twists right. Or like I said earlier vice versa!"

A dark eyebrow was raised in question. "But what if they do know all these things?"

"Well, zat's ze genius of t'is 'ere box." He then inserted his pinky finger into the key hole and held it there for five seconds. The box popped open. "It 'as a finger print scanner inside so only I can get in."

…

"Fridge brilliance no?"

"HELL NO!"

* * *

 _ **One fist to the head later…**_

* * *

"Owww, you didn't 'ave to 'it so 'ard Rin-chan~" The crimson-haired shopkeeper whined childishly while rubbing the throbbing bump on his head, tears ballooning out of his eyes. The man was slumped against the glass counter, chin resting on the top of it while he gave his best glass-aided puppy dog eyes to the other male in the room.

Who was not amused in the slightest. "Yeah, well, all that crap about, "If they had the keys or if they didn't have the damn keys..." Was getting on my nerves! I'm kinda on a schedule?! I have a job you know!" The dark-haired teenager glowered at the pouting male before him with crossed arms and added with a twitching eyebrow, "And another thing, stop calling me Rin-chan! I'm not little nor am I a girl!" All thought of reprisal via complaint to his boss was tossed out the window the minute Rin lost his temper. There simply was just no stopping him after that happened.

The taller man pouted even more while he straightened up. "Fine, fine~" And everything _was_ fine until his glasses flashed with a wily glare and he finished with a smirk, "Rin-chan."

If the counter hadn't been bolted down to the floor, it would have been flipped like a table. The happy and haughty smile on the others face was beginning to annoy and creep the hell out of the delivery boy. _What the hell is his problem?! Callin' me_ Rin-chan _as if I'm still a little kid- I outta-_ And there really was only so much Rin could take before he exploded.

"Why you…" A dark cloud appeared over his head and the still smoking fist that had been used earlier flared up in ire while his eyes flashed red comically.

The yukata-wearing business owner just frowned in a sulky manner; glasses now back to their usual shininess. He flapped his hand in the direction of the still ticked off male flippantly and laughed blithely, "Ara, ara, zere's no need to get so riled up! It was just a prank, lig'ten' up a little~ You've been tense since you got 'ere; I'm glad yer finally actin' like yerself. I mean it's almost as if you t'oug't I was going to eat you or somet'in'! ~"

The guy turned around rubbing his head with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm just a 'umble shop owner after all..." Then he spun back around and held out his arms in the air with a blindingly white grin on his face. "But yer quite right, you are on a sc'edule and so am I, so I'll keep t'ings movin'!" He smacked his hands together and then his smile evaporated into thin air.

Ara-san became downright serious in that instant and Rin felt his hackles rise again for some unknown reason. Something was definitely off about the man before him. His mood-swings were turning around at the speed of light. _Is he bipolar?_

Grey eyes bore into the short male's own royal blue and the taller male smiled a smile full of teeth. "Well? W'at are we waiting for?" He turned back to the box and made another come-hither gesture Rin's way. This time for some inexplicable reason, he could not say no even if he had even tried.

Coming to stand next to the counter as he did before he had backed away, the pale-skinned boy cautiously—and somewhat eagerly—awaited what the older man had waited so long to show him.

He didn't disappoint.

Smirking deviously, the glass-wearing male flicked a lone strand of ruby red hair off his shoulder and he reached into the open box.

Rin was far too short to see inside it without help but that didn't matter because soon the object the other had grabbed was placed gently onto the counter in front of them both. "Another box?"

Waving the boy closer the shopkeeper stepped back so that the meager light in the store could fully shine down upon the box he had brought out. "Not just any box Rin-chan."

It was a small, dark-wooded, rectangular strongbox with a deep maroon finish that glared underneath the yellow lighting of the shop; while flat and half the size of a notebook it was deep. Golden hinges kept it closed but the most eye-catching part of it was the burn mark on top. A straight line with two waves or vines twisting around it and three long streaks of ash flaring from the top sat embedded into the middle of the wood. "What's that?"

"It's a bit simpler t'an most representations, but zis is a caduceus. Not to be confused wit' ze Rod of Asclepius, w'ic' is used to denote medicine—zat one only zas one snake around ze staff. In relation to your question more directly t'oug', it is the symbol of 'ermes, a Greek god w'o was well known for 'is wit and finicky ways. 'e would sooner 'elp a t'ief escape ze law and t'en aid ze aut'orities to catch 'im just on a w'im. 'e seems to 'ave a liking for causing misc'ief w'erever 'e goes; among ot'er t'ings."

"A Greek god? Eh, I don't know much about that sort of stuff..." The sheepish look was back, anger all but forgotten. _I probably fell asleep or skipped that day in class._

Ara-san smiled good-naturally. "Well, zat's ok you don't really 'ave to know about 'im. W'at's inside ze box is far more interesting." He then opened it revealing the lush white satin that lined its inner workings. What sat in the depression of the fabric was another story though. A winding silver band made out of tiny, almost infinitesimal links hooked to each side of the coin-sized pendent smack dab in the middle of the case. The whole thing was no bigger than a bracelet and yet it drew Rin to it not like a mouth to a flame but a dying man to hope and repelled him as if it was screaming for blood.

There are certain things in this world that can inspire emotion so strong it can topple cities, mass armies, destroy complete civilizations and make entire culture's bow down in subservience. The object that sat before Rin was a far greater catalyst then any religion, creed or belief. And while the teenager did not know this, he could feel it intrinsically, like blood calling to a shark in the water miles away.

The stone was polished. It was dark and foreboding, both the amulet and the simple, yet chaotic lines of a snake-like _thing_ biting its tail that was gouged deep into the materiel itself, barely visible to the naked eye. Specks of colors twirling and twisting in the light were then swallowed by the shadows hidden deep within it. It was like watching the inky night sky embrace the aurora borealis. Or someone's soul being devoured and the light fading from a dying man's eyes. Rin could not look away from the strange material that made up the charm, as it was dizzyingly contradictory in and of itself. _It's as if someone carved out a piece of the sky…_

It drew and disgusted him at the same time. The urge to touch it and the urge to look away battled equally strong in his mind. The most disconcerting thing about it though, was that the dark-haired boy had absolutely no idea why he felt so repulsed and captivated by just a stinking piece of jewelry. "W-what…is this thing?"

"Ouroboros. Ze serpent eating its own tail. The Balancer of Creation. Equilibrium. Pick a name." Ara-san just shrugged his shoulders, a small grin stealing across his face before he added sarcastically, "It's got more zan even _I_ can remember. And I know two-'undred and fifty seven decimals of pi."

Rin just raised an eyebrow at that boast but decided not to comment. _How can pie have decimals?…_ Keeping an eye on the almost sinister-looking charm and chain sitting within the innocent box Rin glanced up at the storekeeper. "This is what you wanted to show me Ara-san? It's pretty and all…" He snuck a quick look back down at it. "But it's kinda of…" _Disturbing…_

The other saw where he was headed and quickly inserted, "Creepy?"

Nodding, the short teen explained, "Yeah, can you feel it? It's like it's looking at me."

Grinning the man snickered. "Ara, ara~ I t'oug't so."

Blinking, Rin raised a twitching eyebrow in suspicion. "You…thought so?"

One quick nod of the head and the red-haired male elaborated, "Ai. As soon as I saw your eyes I t'oug't you mig't 'ave it."

"Have…it?"

"Yep."

Rin's eye twitched at the roundabout way the other talked. _He's starting to get on my nerves!_ "And what exactly is _it_ that I _have?"_

The taller male just smiled enigmatically and shrugged, left hand on his hip while he twirled a lock of his long hair around his index finger. "It depends. Zis world isn't just good ol' black and w'ite ya know. Zere are t'ings out t'ere t'at defy common day explanation and t'ere are most certainly t'ings t'at go bump in ze night." He suddenly stood straight, abandoning his hair in favor of grabbing the younger male's wrist.

"Eh?!"

Twisting it, he made it so that the navy-haired boy's palm was showing and with his other hand reached into the open box. He snagged the bracelet by its chain and lifting it up dropped it into Rin's gloved palm.

"Huh?!"

"For being so gracious as to wait zis long and listen to an old man talk you can 'ave zis." Seeing the dumbfounded look on the others face he added, "Free of 'arge. A gift if you will, for being my one t'ousandt' customer."

Shaking himself out of his daze Rin tried to hand it back squeaking, "Wha-?! No way! I can't! That'd be-"

"Ara, ara ~ Just take it. After all, it is not every day I meet someone wit' such…potential. It will serve you far better t'an it will me, so take it."

Holding a confused expression on his face Rin looked down at the piece of jewelry in his hand and stammered, "B-but… I wouldn't know what to do with it…"

Teeth flashing behind his smile, the generous man just waved his hand dismissively in the teenager's direction. "Oh, I'm sure you will find a use for it." Then his glasses flashed as he changed the angle at which he was looking at the smaller male when he finally glanced back up. "Besides, if it makes you feel any better everything in zis world 'as a price. Sooner or later, I am sure you will find yourself paying for it. I 'ave a feeling after all, zat zis won't be ze last time we meet."

Those words sent a chill down the teen's back and he gulped, hand clenching around the small wristlet he had just been given. "No returns?" He couldn't help but be a little hopeful.

"No." Just to be cheeky the older man grabbed at something behind the counter and placed the sign he had taken out of hiding onto the glass for Rin to see.

 **No return policy**

 _Damn it!_ It would seem as if he was stuck with the creepy thing, now if only it would stop giving him goose bumps he could say thanks and mean it. "I see…" Pouting, he glared at the other squeezing out, "Thanks, I guess."

The glass-wearing shopkeeper just smirked and chuckled bubbly, "Your welcome Okumura Rin-kun." He then reached into his yukata sleeve and pulled out a silver ballpoint pin. Clicking it, he tilted his head, "Now zat zat is settled… You 'ad somet'ing I suppose I needed to sign?"

Taken aback, Rin just blinked at him until he remembered the reason he had stayed for return to him. "Oh! I completely forgot!" Placing the gift into his inner jacket pocket, he dug out the piece of paper he had been waiting to be signed and held it out to the older male. "If you could, please?"

Glasses flashing, Ara-san smiled warmly. "Ara, ara, it would be my pleasure."

* * *

Death. 'Nough said.


	3. Error: Rerouted

**So...not dead? *Hides behind trashcan like trash Wild-Tama is***

* * *

 **Chapter Three-Error: Rerouted**

* * *

 _ **8:34 AM, 2011/3/25, A park….**_

* * *

A fist landed at just the right angle in between the eye and the mouth to nearly dislocate its target's jaw. A grunt of pain came from the unfortunate male who was on the receiving end of it and he slammed against a metal fence a few feet away at the force that had been put behind it.

"Is he a demon or something?!"

"Fuck! This guy's scary! Let's get outta here!"

The two goons that were with the lavender-haired male who had been punched picked up their dazed leader and scrammed faster than Rin could blink.

 _Akuma?_ He watched the trio leave, the seething rage inside of his chest starting to ebb away at the sight of the damn cowards fleeing. He glanced down at the bloody mess they had made, eyes downcast and mournful at the senseless brutality they had inflicted on the dead and dying pigeons on the ground.

Wiping the blood away from his bleeding nose he scoffed in disgust, "What the hell are they playing at? They're far more demonic then I'll ever be…"

Then he realized the state his body was in. Frowning in exasperation, he stared at the blood all over his ripped black glove and the scratches on the fist he had used to nail the pierced punk-wannabe that had been maiming the poor birds in the kid's playground he was standing in. "Ah…I've done it again…" _I went and got into another fight…_

The navy-haired teenager grimaced at his fist and then picked up the crumbled sheet of paper that he had been holding earlier. The bastards had ripped it during the fight and it was now unusable. His boss definitely wouldn't take it. After all the work he had done too… "I guess I'm gonna get a talkin' to…"

A rustle of feathers behind him startled the teen and a lone pigeon that had survived the cruelty of those three assholes took to the morning sky that was beginning to show signs of the sun peeking through the grey clouds littering the True Cross Town skyline. A miserable look on his face Rin muttered dejectedly, "What am I doing?..."

* * *

 _ **At home…**_

* * *

"You lost little lamb, confess your sins and say your prayers."

"I didn't do anything," Rin groused with his chin in his palm. Not that the priest on the other side of the confession booth partition could see him.

"Then where did those wounds come from?"

"I fell on the stairs."

"Your back is dirty too."

"It was a very hard fall." The lies just kept coming.

"And your nosebleed?"

He was sweating now. He never could lie worth shit. "I fell on top of this ridiculously hot lady-"

He should have known that that would have garnered a reaction from the priest but honestly-

"WHAT?! After her, Rin! Lead the way!"

This was just absurd. _The guy is in his fifty's! Shouldn't he be, like,_ less _hot blooded now?!_ Watching with wide eyes the kneeling boy stared slack-jawed while the man that he had been confessing his sins to—read: straight up lying to—raced out of the confession booth and flailing around with red cheeks screamed for them to go basically stalk a fictional woman. _Is…he dumb in the head?_

Then the grey-haired Catholic priest yelled, "Liar!" While grabbing Rin's head in a vice-lock. "You got into a fight again, right?! Why are you always doing that?!"

Rin stumbled and thrashed around while trying to escape the old man's surprisingly strong grip around his neck. "Let go, Kusojijii!"

Finally, he did and the dark-haired boy slid to the ground huffing in dismay at that embarrassing event. _Damn Oyaji, what is he eating, steroids?!_

"Your boss called earlier."

Rin's head snapped up at the tone of voice the taller man used and sweat dropped at the 180˚ degree turn his attitude had taken, already knowing what was coming and not being able to do a damn thing about it.

His back turned to the teen, he announced nonchalantly, "They said they don't need someone who doesn't come back after completing a delivery."

The teen inwardly flinched at the reminder of why he couldn't have gone back. Either way he would have been fired. _Tch…_ Instead of complaining Rin just fired back sarcastically while looking away, "You're saying that as if someone like me could actually do a decent job to begin with." He had too. Done a good job actually. If only those punks hadn't ripped that damn paper, he would still have the stupid jo-

No, in the end he still would have gotten fired. That sort of the thing was just so common nowadays to the pale-skinned boy he barely even fought it any more. It still didn't stop him from feeling a bit ashamed though and he covered it up by acting like a smart-ass while pouting rebelliously.

"Don't act like a spoiled brat!"

From the floor, Rin just swiveled his glare back at the cranky older man who was looking at him through citrus-tinted glasses with disapproval.

"One day, you'll have to leave this monastery and make it on your own!" He completely turned around pointing his thumb at his black-clad chest while growling, "It's my duty as your guardian to prepare you for that!" His eyeglass string-ornaments swayed while he lectured his charge, the white cross and red beads making him look like a nagging grandma to the mutinous teen.

Still glowering at the man with a goatee in front of him, he nearly choked on his own tongue at the next sentence the aging male uttered, "Or will you become a priest and lead the monastery?" He said it in a completely serious tone too and that made it even worse.

"Who'd want this rotting old church?" He sneered without thinking about what he was saying while glaring at the wall to his left. _Me? A priest? As if! That- That's just not possible…_ He would give anything to be as respectable as his old man, but hell if he would ever say it aloud, let alone to the Kusojijii!

"Tou-san!" Then another person appeared on the scene. "I'm done getting ready to move." Tall but just a few centimeters taller than the white bar-collared male before him the brown haired teen interrupted the fight going on between the two other members of his family. "Now I just have to actually move the stuff."

"Good job."

Rin could practically hear the pride in the others voice and actually saw the smile that stole across the face of his Tou-san when the other had entered into the room. It made his chest constrict in a weird way.

"Welcome back Nii-san." The young man in the yellow sweater and light olive cargo pants smiled while looking towards the other who sat on the floor. "Did you get into another fight?"

Rin almost growled in irritation when they both started to stare at him. "Urusei!"

And then the two other males in the room decided to chime in on let's-make-Rin-feel-horrible-day.

"Even though they're twins, they're totally different!" The sandy-blonde male cleaning the window of the church closest to the front who was named Izumi exclaimed.

The teen sitting on the floor flushed a deep red and made a noise as if something was stuck in his throat.

The other cleric with a close-crop hairstyle named Kyodo added, "The younger one, Yukio, is a talented athlete with amazing grades. He aced the entrance exam for the True Cross Academy and he'll be starting there this spring."

The first clergyman smirked and clarified, "And on the other hand, the older one is a problem child."

The child in question wanted to sink into the floor from humiliation. He was always being compared to his genus, perfect twin. _Yukio this, Yukio that! I'm proud of him but dammit, I wish people would just shut up about me not being like him! I'm my own person too!_

And the spiky haired man didn't leave it at just that. Oh no, he just had to rub salt into the already debilitating wound. "Hey Rin, if only you had just a fraction of your Otouto's virtues!"

Rin felt his heart flip-flop and not in the good kinda way. His temper flared before he could stop it and he shouted, "Shut the fuck up!"

At once, the heater in the middle of the room gave off a burst of flame signaling its death and the teakettle on top of it was knocked to the floor in the surge of blue fire. The lid of it came flying all the way to rest shakily at the feet of the head priest and he stuttered out gibberish while staggering to the broken machine and yelped, "I really need to buy a new heater…"

Bending down to inspect the wrecked appliance he was flagged down by yet another clergyman with pale brown hair named Nagatomo not a few seconds later. "Father Fujimoto, you have a guest waiting for you."

The cassock-wearing man stood up and ordered the other two helpers while following the other, "Clean this up before the sermon!"

"Hai!"

"And Yukio, treat your brother's wounds will you?"

"Hai. Come on Nii-san." Steeping off to the side the glass-wearing twin walked off to the kitchen to grab the first-aid kit.

Rin, watching out of the corner of his eye the back of the man who had just scolded him so roughly got up from the floor dusting his pants off while scowling but followed his taller brother to the other building of their home. _Che, whatever._

* * *

"OWwWwWw~ That stings!"

"Try to bear with it for just a bit longer."

The navy-hoodie wearing boy grit his teeth while the other patted the scratches on his right hand clean with a cotton ball doused in disinfectant. He had stashed his gloves in his hoodie for a later cleaning.

Trying to ignore the burning of the alcohol-based antiseptic Rin couldn't help but peek at the boxes behind his younger twin while his brother did so though. _He's packed…_ Wanting to make conversation but not really knowing what to say he just asked,"Ah…so you're moving to a dorm? When does the term start again?"

"Yeah, I am. School starts next week by the way. …I've told you multiple times already Nii-san." Turquoise irises stared intently at the wounds their owner was wrapping diligently in medical tape, a smile spread softly on his slightly tanner features. "After fifteen years, it's time to leave this monastery."

Rin ignored the small playful jab at his ability to remember things in favor of congratulating his brother. "Uwaaa~ True Cross Academy… It's really elite isn't it? Mou! You're pretty awesome! Makes me proud to be your twin!"

The smile widened on the mole-spotted face of the younger at his older twin's declaration. "I'm just working as hard as I can… To become a doctor I have to."

His smile was infectious and a slightly more melancholy one stretched across Rin's face while he watched his twin move deftly with the bandages that were slowly covering his hurt hands in such a professional manner. "Your dream _is_ to become a doc, right?"

A pair of scissors cut the bandages and then the practiced hands of the younger smoothed it down, all the while a look of perfect concentration and genuine care rested on his face.

"Keep up the good work! I'm sure you can do it." Taking a good look at his spanking clean hands taken care of so expertly he wished his brother luck, proud to be able to call such an accomplished person his twin.

The sad smile and straining feeling in his chest wouldn't go away however. They had never been separated before. "But will this be the last time you'll treat my wounds?" He couldn't help but feel like a small child again when he uttered the question. He didn't want his brother to leave. But he also wanted his twin to succeed no matter what. A battle of tug-a-war waged in his heart, heartstrings the rope being tugged at every little motion that was just so _Yukio_ that the other made. From the way he fixed his glasses to the way he had gently and precisely wrapped his wounds to the soft voice he always called him Nii-san in.

"I'll do my best and if I become a doctor, I'll be able to help you anytime." He added, "As long as you pay me, that is." Just to emphasize what he really meant.

Rin didn't bother to reply about that last sentence. _He really wouldn't expect his older brother to pay…right?_

Just to clarify in case his brother still wasn't listening Yukio said it again so his scatterbrained twin didn't get any funny ideas. "Just don't forget about the fees, Nii-san."

Still admiring his hands Rin just reiterated while disregarding the harassment from his younger brother, "You sure are an ace at this first-aid stuff, I'm sure you can do it!"

It still didn't look as if his brother was going to listen to him and Yukio sighed, hand closing the first aid kit on the table.

"…Only because you're always getting into fights Nii-san."

A tense silence followed that last statement until Rin slouched and sighed, "…Yeah, yeah, I'm as big as a screw-up as you are a success…"

"..."

Yukio just stood up and put away the first-aid kit while he voiced his concern for the first time since his Nii-san had come home all scratched up as usual. "Ne…but will you be alright without me around? What is it that you actually want to do?"

This caused a sharp reaction from the male sitting on top of the table and he scowled half-heartedly in disbelief. "What? Are you going to scold me too?"

Yukio turned back to the navy-haired boy and simplified, "I'm just worried. And it's not just me." Staring up at his twin, he frowned lightly, sincere worry in his eyes. "Tou-san and the others from the monastery are too. You get into fights every day and you can't hold a job."

The blue-eyed teen looked away, an unhappy expression on his face while he mumbled out, "I'm worried about it too. I know I should be growing up already. I really want to. I want to make myself respectable. But…" Images of what those punks in the park had been doing to those innocent birds flashed through his mind's eye and he closed his real eyes trying not to let the sadness and frustration overtake his heart. "I dunno… I just can't seem to find the chance to…" _Every single time…I let my temper rule me._

"It might be a test for you."

Opening them slightly Rin peeked out from under his fringe and asked grumpily, "From who?" _Satan?_

"O-Kami-sama."

His twin answered so confidently Rin wondered if Yukio was perhaps morphing into a mini-version—even if he was taller—of the Kusojijii. Groaning and making a face Rin repeated his thoughts aloud while reaching for his white jacket that he had laid across the top of the chair next to him not too long ago, "You're becoming more and more like the Kusojijii."

"Ah, there you are."

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Not two seconds after uttering his nickname too. It didn't matter that he was a priest. He could be downright scary when he wanted to be.

"A friend of mine just called."

Right along with the same two clergy men who had been teasing Rin earlier. Both Izumi and Kyodo were holding something in their hands, waiting patiently behind Father Fujimoto.

"He owns a traditional restaurant in Southern Cross Mall and needs a new hand in the shop." Leaning against the door-frame, he smirked, flinging a folded piece of paper in his oldest son's direction. "How about it? If you feel up for it, the interview is tomorrow at four o' clock sharp."

"EHH?! A restaurant?! M-me?" The smaller male glanced sharply away from the piece of folded paper in his hands and up at the older man, beginning to flail his hands with an aghast expression flooding his face at what he had just said. "D-don't be crazy!" _A job? Jeeze, these guys just won't let it go!_

The spectacled man raised his hand and made a what-are-you-talking-about-gesture, face contorting into scornful disbelief. "What's so crazy about it? Cooking is one of your strong points. It's perfect!"

Rin just looked away from his father's sharp claret eyes down at his bandaged hands. "I- I can't. I can't handle a…a respectable job like that, can I? I know myself well enough-" _Really, even if it is cooking… I just have the worst luck._

A fist hit the door-frame with a loud "bam!" "Foolish boy! You think with the way you are now you have a choice?! You won't know until you try! It's my responsibility to raise you to be a fine adult!" The harsh truth came from the old man like bullets on rapid fire. "It's time you stop looking down on yourself and take the initiative!"

Grabbing the box that was being held in the spikey, dirty-blond-haired cleric's hands standing next to him he tossed it straight into Rin's path forcing him to catch it. "Here!"

"Huh?" The teenage boy's face became marred with confusion and he almost didn't catch the pile of plastic-covered fabric thrown at him not soon after. _Oi! Oi! Oi! This guy!_

"These guys have volunteered to help you. It's an interview and I know you don't have a shred of formal clothes."

The navy-haired male glanced down at the objects in his hands understanding finally dawning on him. "A…suit? Why would I wear a suit?"

"Hai! A suit! It's a suit! Maybe a little too fancy, but-"

"You want to make a good impression right?!"

"Make sure not to get my shoes dirty! They're my good pair!"

"Same goes for my suit!"

"Nani! But I haven't said I was going-" _Really?!_

"Nii-san?"

Rin glanced his twin's way and looked around at the smiling faces throughout the kitchen. Rubbing the back of his head he blushed and stuttered out, "Well, I-"

The grinning priest in the entrance to the kitchen smirked and baited before he could finish, "If you get the job I'll make sure that we have a celebratory dinner tomorrow with sukiyaki, sound fair?"

That definitely demanded a positive response on Rin's part. "Y-you mean it?! Fine, I'll go! I'll go! We haven't had meat in months!" _Sukiyaki~ Sukiyaki~_

Yukio stood in the background watching the drama unfold mostly quiet on his part but he couldn't help mutter in incredulity afterwards, "He'll do it for meat?"

* * *

 _ **Later that evening…**_

* * *

Rin pulled his hoodie off and dropped it to the floor leaving his red, long-sleeve t-shirt on. He had laid his white jacket on the bed and was slipping his socks off while he was at it. _Man, today's been too long~ I just want to go take a bath and go to bed._ He threw his socks into the hamper underneath his desk. They flew straight into it without a trouble.

Huffing out in exhaustion the blue-eyed teen rubbed his eyes tiredly and bent over to pick his hoodie off the ground. Yukio would lecture him about leaving his clothes on the floor again if he didn't. _Che, he acts like my Kaa-san!_

Rin paused and looked around their shared little room. The bookcase against the far right wall of the room was almost completely empty. A few old books that Yukio didn't deem important to take with him still sat there along with a few tattered manga that actually belonged to Rin. They were all that was left besides a few old clothes that Yukio hadn't needed to take with him that stayed on their hangers neatly hanging in the closet next to the bookcase. Everything else had been packed; even his desk was completely devoid of personal effects.

The older twin let his gaze linger on the desk that he had spent most of his life watching his younger brother study at. If he squinted hard enough he could pretend that Yukio was sitting right there reading or writing something for school diligently.

Rin's shoulders slumped as he held his hoodie to his side. Images of their younger selves laughed and played around his feet and he remembered one time he had managed to convince Yukio to draw with him on the floorboards with colored chalk fondly. _Kusojijii made us scrub the entire floor and I began a sponge war... Man, the look on Kusojijii's face when he came in to check on us just to get a bucket of soapy water in the face!_

A tiny snort of amusement escaped the short male's throat and he smiled happily reminiscing on the years he had spent with his family in the monastery. _And now…Yukio's leaving. He's going to try and become a doctor… Nah, not try. He_ will _become a doctor!_

The poignant reminders all over the church were beginning to take their toll on the pale-skinned teenager and he sniffed slightly, alone in his room trying to come to terms with the fact that his brother, his twin, the only other person in the entire world who he had known for all of his life…was going away. Without him.

In a person's life, there are always happy and sad times. One minute they can be floating on cloud nine and breathing sunshine blessing the very soil they are walking on. At other times, it seems as if the world is an absolutely desolate place that worms its way into their very skin and they feel as if their very soul will crumble under the onslaught of the poisonous feelings they are being assaulted by.

Then there are the brief moments of something in between. Heartrending emotion but elated joy mixed into a single inexpressible _sensation_ that seemed to play with one's heart as if it was a mournful violin. Rin found himself feeling that and while it hurt, it was a good hurt. One that made him appreciate all the warmhearted memories that he held and at the same time made him look forward to the future with hope. So he did what any young, male teenager would do. He sucked it up.

 _Gahh, what am I doing?!_ A sleeve was quickly wiped over the tearing eyes of the boy and he sucked in a big breath, a wide smile on his face once again. _No need to get all sappy Rin! There's tons of times when Yukio can come visit! It's not as if he's moving halfway across the world…_

With a nod of his head—once he fully contained himself, he always did have trouble keep his emotions in check—Rin went back to getting ready to take a bath and scooped up his jacket to place both his hoodie and it over his desk chair. But when he went to take it over to his desk something slipped out of its inner pocket and clattered to the floor.

 _Huh? What is…?_ He couldn't remember putting anything in his jacket and tossing the two articles of clothing into his chair, he squatted down on his hind legs to find what had fallen.

There, on the floor, was the gift that the strange, red-haired man from his delivery job had given him. _Ah, I forgot that I had it._

He moved to pick it up and grabbing it by its braided chain; he stood up letting it dangle in front of his face. _Yep, still creepy as ever._

Wondering what he was going to do with it, he fingered the cool metal links of its wristband and then finally let the stone in the middle of the bracelet drop into his naked palm. _That guy…he seemed pretty intent on giving me this thing I wonder if it's cursed or somethi-_ "Ugh! Holy Shit!"

 _What in hell's name…?!_ Everything had been fine one second and the next Rin felt as if his hand had been dipped in acid, systematically frozen and then roasted to the bone all at once. Waves of pain numbed his hand and then Rin couldn't feel his entire arm. He slid to the floor clenching his teeth so that he wouldn't yell out and alarm the others inside. _Dammit! I can't even move my fingers!_

The object in his hand stayed glued to his palm no matter how hard he tried to shake it off. It had to be the cause of the intense pain or else Rin was losing his mind! _It is cursed! I knew that man was trouble!_ The blue-eyed male slumped into the bed-frame, burying his face into the sheets to keep from screaming, and instead whimpered at the sheer agony stabbing his nerve endings.

Finally, after what seemed an unbearable long time he was able to let go of the damn thing and he dropped the piece of jewelry like a hot potato onto the bed. Gasping for air with tears rolling down his face Rin—shaken by the awful experience he had just endured—held up his right hand to take a look at what had happened to it to make it hurt like it had.

Blood dribbled from the middle of his palm but otherwise it was completely fine. There were no burn marks, frozen or otherwise and definitely, no strange, cursed squiggles gauged into his flesh. Blinking away the tears stuck to his eyelashes Rin wiped his face and rubbed the quickly congealing blood off on his pants leg. He could always blame the stain it would surely leave on the fight he had gotten into earlier that day.

Swallowing hard, he tried to see if there was any damage done to his hand that he couldn't see but when he flexed it seemed perfectly fine. The pain had gone a lot quicker than it had stayed that was for sure and there wasn't a scratch in sight. _I wasn't drugged or anything…was I?_

Worn-out and done with being fucked with by the universe, O-Kami-sama and who knew what else Rin just sighed and made to stand up on his wobbly legs.

"Nii-san, you got a package. Ah, and Tou-san also said it might be better if we turn in earlier tonight since we both have a big day tomorrow?" It was a statement and a question at the same time.

Rin didn't understand why he did it. He just did. As soon as he had heard Yukio come down the hall, he used the sleeve of his shirt to shove the disturbing piece of jewelry underneath his pillow before acting like nothing was wrong when his brother did reach the open door to their room. "Eh? Ok, just set in on my desk, I'll open it later. I want to get a bath first before bed."

Before the other could express his astonishment at the others willingness to hit the hay so early Rin was out the door and down the hall.

Confused but pleasantly surprised, Yukio shrugged and stepped into their room, laying the slim package down on the edge of the desk and turned back to the hall that would lead him to the kitchen. Prior to doing so though he cast a calculating look back at the room his brother had just exited out of rather quickly and stared intensely into the open space. For a second Yukio could have sworn he felt a demonic presence flare from the kitchen.

Lingering a bit longer, he fixed his glasses and then shrugging, sighed in exasperation while pinching his nose. "Get a grip Yukio…" _It's not as if you are going to leave for just a day and Nii-san's going to transform into a demon._

He would come to regret not checking to see if his worries were well-founded that night.

* * *

I promise not to choke on a pile of blueberry pancakes... I'm allergic.

Tarry a while. Thou art so fair. ~ Wild-Tama


End file.
